


Jupiter's Lifeless Moons

by the_pyromaniac



Category: Cowboy Bebop (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Fix-It, M/M, Post-Season/Series Finale, Slow Burn, but not that slow bc im impatient w a short attention span, im projecting can you tell, jet is upset and spike needs to get his shit together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:22:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25492303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_pyromaniac/pseuds/the_pyromaniac
Summary: When Spike doesn't come back, Jet makes his decision. After the necessary repairs are done, he stocks up on tax-free tobacco and other necessities, and the Bebop leaves Mars. For good, if Jet has anything to say about it. Surprisingly, Faye stays on the ship, saying something about having enough of the past. Well, that's one thing they can agree on.life goes on.
Relationships: Jet Black/Spike Spiegel
Comments: 5
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> title from Dreamboy. Also listen to Sleep Apnea by the Beach Fossils and cry w me

When Spike doesn't come back, Jet makes his decision. After the necessary repairs are done, he stocks up on tax-free tobacco and other necessities, and the Bebop leaves Mars. For good, if he has anything to say about it. Surprisingly, Faye stays on the ship, saying something about having enough of the past. Well, that's one thing they can agree on.

Faye is more talkative than usual, tells him about her encounter with Julia and how Spike was the one to ask her to come back, "because Jet would be all alone". She says this, probably to console him. But in that moment Jet hates Spike so much he thinks he might kill him himself, if he wanders back to the Bebop. Who does he think he is leaving and acting all heroic about it. Leaving the bebop and acting all heroic about it. Leaving Jet and acting all heroic about it.

Life goes on.

Jet could never bring himself to ask Spike to stay. And it's not like he would've stayed anyway, that, Jet knows for sure. Spike had always made it obvious where his priorities lay, running off at the first mention of Julia. Anywhere in the milky way.

Faye keeps shooting him worried glances, and Jet doesn't want to talk about it. He does not want to fucking talk about it. At least she knows better than to pry. The odds weren't that good anyway and when Spike doesn't show up for a week, well, it's obvious what's gone down. He's either alive and living happily ever after with the love of his life, or he's dead and died in pursuit of Julia. Either way, a romantic ending for a romantic man. And Jet doesn't stick around to find out the details.

No instead, Jet busies himself with the small bounties. The small fry, petty crooks and white collar fraud types. Nothing really interesting, nothing really dangerous. Faye helps out, and between the two of them, they make a pretty good team. He trims his bonsai trees, meditates, and finds himself staring off into space when he's not chainsmoking till his lungs start hacking. Not any different how things were before all of this.

Before, Spike Spiegel hitched a ride and stayed on longer than either of them expected.

Should've taken one look at him and run in the opposite direction. That's what Jet should've done. Now Jet's gone soft. He even misses Ed and Ein. He'll allow himself that. Though they didn't exactly do much for bounty hunting and were two extra mouths to feed.

Jet throws himself into work. Refuses to cry a single tear, at least when he's awake. At night he has the same dream over and over again, wakes up gasping, tears all over his face. None of the greats ever talked about worry in their fucking romantic poetry. Worry that eats away with you, building dread in your stomach. He briefly wonders if Faye gets the same nightmares, but never asks. He just shoves it all down and does his little routine and tries to pretend there is not a Spike shaped hole in his chest and it's fine, it's really fine. Just when he thinks he's starting to get the hang of this, the asshole shows up. Just saunters up to Jet when he's working on repairs at a pit stop, bandages peaking out from under his collar.

The first thing he says is, "The police pulled me out".

Ladies and gentlemen, Spike Spiegel in the flesh.

Jet turns and walks back onto the bebop.


	2. Chapter 2

Faye is yelling.

_You should've died. You fucking asshole. You stupid idiot._

And Jet knows she doesn't mean it.

_You've got some nerve, leaving like that and just thinking you can come back._

Faye is right. Jet gets it, can hear the hurt in her voice, and the relief, and the anger. All of the emotions twisting together. Jet keeps silent, arms crossed in front of his chest because he doesn't know what he might do or say if he opened his mouth. It's not like anyone expects Jet to say anything. Spike deserves everything Faye is throwing at him. But the screaming is loud and Jet can feel a headache developing so he turns and leaves for his room without a word.

Right before his door shuts, Spike finally opens his mouth.

"You've really done it now", says Spike.

Faye laughs, but it's harsh and without humor, "if you think he's not ten times more angry, then buddy you've got another thought coming".

_

Jet wakes shaking and hyperventilating, laying in a pool of his own cooling sweat. It's the same dream, Spike's limp body falling backwards in slow motion while bullets fly all around. When he comes back to himself and remembers that Spike is back and alive and didn’t actually die, the relief he feels is almost humiliating.

This is the first time he's had the dream since Spike's return. The other times, he hadn't had the confirmation, which was even worse.

Jet's not feeling inclined to go back to sleep. So he sits up, waits for his heart to stop racing and heads for the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

With the lights off, the bebop's lounge is chilly. Jet relishes the cool slide of the water as he drinks from his cup.

There's a cough in the dark.

He whirls around to face Spike, who's sprawled on the couch peering at Jet. The way he blinks reminds Jet of a cat

"Hey".

Fuck, Jet winces, feeling 16 all over again. He hopes Spike hasn't noticed that he's been trying to avoid him for the past few days. Not ignoring him, no, just not engaging either. Then he feels a little bit guilty, because hurt or not hurt, Spike almost died.

"How're the injuries healing," he manages.

"Not the worst ones I've had, I'll be good in no time" comes the reply. Spike draws out a cigarette and fumbles with the lighter in the dark.

The cigarette catches and the lighter is put away. He takes a drag, then offers it to Jet.

Jet takes it. Doesn't say anything. He doesn't say _I love you, why did you leave?_ He doesn't say _I love you and you left._ He keeps his mouth shut and takes a drag. Watches as half the cigarette turns to ash with one long inhale. He doesn't have the right to ask.

Jet doesn't ask because if Spike refuses to respond, he doesn't know what he would do. And Jet's never been able to move Spike, who's never budged an inch a day in his life to open up when he didn't want to. Spike Spiegel the immovable object, and Jet's no unstoppable force.

And the thought exhausts him. He passes the smoke back to Spike. Starts heading back to his room.

"It's good to be back," says Spike, at last.


End file.
